International Hospitality and Tourism Management MSc/PGDip/PGCert

Hospitality and tourism are vital parts of the economic activity in a world city like London. The sectors are important drivers of economic growth in countries with developing economies.

This course is designed to help meet the increasing demand worldwide for graduates with the competencies and knowledge to join tourism and hospitality.

• Explore current trends and topical issues in hospitality and tourism, including sustainable practice, intercultural awareness, and digital operational technology.

• Combine academic theory, critical judgment and practical experience2 to help build the self-confidence you will need as a graduate to demonstrate industry-ready aptitudes, and to be ready to undertake leadership roles.

• Study the 18-month Extended Professional Practice route, to gain more practical insights and in-depth experience.

How you'll learn

Your learning shall be highly practical, taking place both within and beyond the classroom2, and your tutors will continually apply what you learn to the real world of work.

Classroom learning will involve practical tasks such as case studies, report-writing, business simulations, planning, presentations and debates.

• Teaching methods include lectures, seminars, textbooks, workshops, debates, case studies, consultancy projects, simulations, business plans and online collaborations.

• Our tutors are extremely well-qualified and experienced, with extensive backgrounds in the tourism and hospitality industries (please note staff may be subject to change).

• You may have plenty of opportunities for experiences and observations, including tours, museums, exhibitions and conferences2.

• Take part in extra-curricular activities such as student mentoring programmes and volunteering opportunities to develop your personal and professional skills2. You could also take part in our High Flyers programme (subject to availability), to help you develop the personal and professional skills necessary to thrive in a rapidly changing world, through a suite of extra-curricular, non-course specific workshops2.

This course can be offered on a part-time basis. Whilst we would like to give you all the information about our part-time offering here, it is tailored for each course each year depending on the number of part-time applicants. Therefore, the part-time teaching arrangements vary

Assessment

This course will be assessed using a variety of methods which will vary depending upon the module.

Assessment methods include:

• Business case studies

• Software simulations4

• Consultancy projects2

• Group projects and debates

• Presentations

• Business reporting

• Work-experience placements2

The Coventry University Group's assessment strategy ensures that our courses are fairly assessed and allows us to monitor student progression towards achieving the intended learning outcomes.

Careers and opportunities

On successful completion, you will be able to:

• appraise the international dynamic contexts and environments in which hospitality and tourism industries operate, and assess the critical issues and challenges and their impact on organisations’ strategic planning.

• apply the major business and management models, tools and theories in the context of theoretical and practical problems.

• critically assess strategic plans for hospitality and tourism organisations and destinations to ensure competitive advantage and maximise the customer experience.

• explore the concepts, processes and institutions in the production and marketing of hospitality and tourism services, including the management of resources and operations.

• critically examine the policies, strategies and approaches used to lead and develop staff within diverse international and multinational organisations in the hospitality and tourism industries.

• evaluate the strategic dimension of marketing in managing customer experience and developing the competitive advantage of hospitality businesses and tourist destinations.

• develop problem-solving, decision-making and implementation skills, to establish criteria, and employ appropriate techniques.

• critically evaluate the principles for leading and developing people and equality, diversity and inclusion at a strategic level (CMI).

The course aims to develop your existing independent study skills, enable you to use a range of techniques and research methods, and become well-equipped to meet the future leadership and managerial challenges.

On successful completion, you would emerge with well-developed powers of analysis, clear perspectives on strategy and strategic thinking. Furthermore, you will have honed your existing highly effective communication and transferrable skills; all of which are demanded by employers in the private, public, and third sectors.

Typical career routes for graduates from this course could include, but are not limited to:

• hospitality or tourism start-up companies and SMEs

• joining a consulting firm that works with SMEs

• creating your own hospitality or tourism business

• applying transferable skills gained to scale up an existing family business

• marketing and PR roles for hospitality or tourism businesses

• roles in NGOs, the Civil Service and education. For example, writing policy, or working for a Destination Management Organisation

• progressing to managerial roles within the hospitality and tourism industries e.g. Front Office Manager, Housekeeping Manager, and Hotel Manager

• progress to further education, such as a PhD and/or developing a career in academia.

Where our graduates work

Previous graduates of our International Hospitality and Tourism Management MSc course have gone on to work at: Sheraton Hotel, Landmark Hotel, GLH, Clermont and Holiday Inn Windsor.